So Easily Assimilated: The New Immigrant Chic
@article{Rovner2006SoEA, title={So Easily Assimilated: The New Immigrant Chic}, author={Adam Rovner}, journal={AJS Review}, year={2006}, volume={30}, pages={313 - 324} }
Last year, a friend drew my attention to the lyrics of a famous song in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, the composer’s first attempt in 1956 to write the “Great American Opera.” The song, “I Am Easily Assimilated,” remains one of the best-loved musical numbers from the play and includes the following lines: My father came from Rovno Gubernya.But now I’m here, I’m dancing a tango….My father spoke a High Middle Polish.In one half-hour I’m talking in Spanish:Por favor! Toreador!I am easily…
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Thanks to Bob Goldfarb